Sea solids useful as fertilizer are known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,457 to Murray. In addition, the use of nutrient sea solids in hydroponic farming is disclosed in Murray's U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,606. According to the teachings of these patents, precipitated sea solids are harvested and used as a plant nutrient or fertilizer.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,410 discloses the production of potassium polyphosphates from a phosphoric acid sludge by heating the sludge to eliminate most of the water and then adding a salt mixture thereto to make a fertilizer.
Soilless culture of plants using sea water which is chemically modified with non-natural substances to change its composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,741. U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,695 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,767 disclose processes for converting mineralized water into irrigation water, by distillation and similar treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,419 deals with the conversion of sea water into a solid fertilizer. U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,628 discloses a method of making a lignin fertilizer base using a cooking liquor as a component thereof. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,450,001; 4,334,910; 4,382,013; 4,508,559; and 4,125,392 disclose similar compositions to regulate plant growth.
All of these known methods and their products fall into one of two categories. Firstly, sea solids are precipitated, removed and used as such. Secondly, the water of the starting material is distilled and used as fresh water. In the first instance, the resultant product is nothing more than a mixture of chemicals derived from sea water; in the second instance, the resultant product is pure water.
None of the prior art disclose the use of a LIQUOR containing water and salts, in which the ratios of the mineral salts to each other and to the remaining water are different from the ratios of such salts in the initial natural sea water. The resultant LIQUOR thus naturally altered from its initial state functions per se as a natural herbicide and also, in dilute aqueous concentrations, as a natural micronutrient. As used herein, the term "LIQUOR" defines the resultant product in which the ratios of salt are modified as disclosed and is to be distinguished from natural sea water as well as from a merely concentrated solution.
As will be explained hereinafter, the undiluted LIQUOR of the present invention is a swift, highly effective natural herbicide even when used in small amounts and may be applied directly to offending and deleterious growths without affecting any surrounding desirable vegetation. On the other hand, when highly diluted with fresh water, the LIQUOR of the present invention provides a totally unexpected and unobviously effective nutrient, by means of which the growth of desirable vegetation is enhanced and increased with rapidity and substantive benefit to the size, taste, appearance and the like of the vegetation. A further unexpected and unobvious result lies in the fact that the LIQUOR acts as a preservative in that the fruit of such vegetation lasts for a longer time after being picked. Thus, having a longer shelf life and transport life.
The noted benefits and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following disclosure.